Colombo — The Third Reading of the Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Bill was passed by a strong majority of 96 votes this evening, following the earlier passage of the Second Reading by the same margin.
The bill, originally introduced by the government earlier this year, underwent scrutiny both in Parliament and the Supreme Court, after several petitions were filed, including by the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union, challenging its provisions.
Following the Supreme Court hearing, the Deputy Speaker, Dr. Rizvie Salih, informed Parliament on June 30 that certain clauses in the bill were found to be inconsistent with the Constitution. The court’s determination emphasized that these clauses would require a special parliamentary majority and a public referendum to be enacted as originally drafted.
However, the Deputy Speaker clarified that these constitutional concerns could be resolved through amendments aligned with the Supreme Court’s recommendations. Accordingly, the bill was amended before the third reading to address those issues.
The bill had also secured approval from the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development, which recommended its presentation to Parliament for debate and voting.
Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody led the proceedings for the second reading earlier today, where 121 MPs voted in favor and 25 opposed, reflecting a clear parliamentary consensus in support of the legislation after adjustments.
The passage of this bill marks a significant step toward reforms in Sri Lanka’s electricity sector, aiming to modernize regulatory frameworks while maintaining constitutional integrity.
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